Cops Save Heroin Overdose Victim In Skokie Courthouse Bathroom

SKOKIE, IL — Police and deputies saved the life of a man who overdosed on heroin in a Skokie Courthouse bathroom Wednesday using naloxone, according to a press release. Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart said it was the second time in two weeks Cooks County Sheriff's Police used the antidote to save a life.

Sheriff's deputies at the courthouse got the call about the medical emergency, and got to the bathroom to find an Evanston cop and another deputy trying to wake the 24-year-old man. They found suspected heroin and a syringe.

A Cook County Sheriff's police commander in the building arrived with naloxone nasal spray and gave it to the man, who woke soon after.

The overdose victim was at the courthouse for possession of a controlled substance and theft cases, according to the press release. He was taken to a hospital and released, but police charged him with heroin possession. The man was denied bond during a hearing Wednesday.

The sheriff's department has been carrying naloxone since June 2016 and have had to use it twice since. The first time was on April 23, when a Sheriff's Police officer saved the life of a 28-year-old Rockford woman found unresponsive in an Elk Grove Township hotel room.

Naloxone isn't only being given to cops. Cook County Jail detainees are often given naloxone when released from custody and trained in how to use it, with the goal of preventing overdose deaths. Nearly 3,000 detainees have been trained with over 1,700 kits having been given out.

Article image via Patch